International Conference on “Improving responses to organised crime and drug trafficking along the Cocaine Route”

Date:

27/05/2013

The international conference "Improving responses to organised crime and drug trafficking along the Cocaine Route", organised by the European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will be held at the Hotel Plaza in Rome at 9:30 on Tuesday 28 May.

The conference will open with speeches by Director General for Political and Security Affairs (DGAP) Sandro De Bernardin, EuropeAid Director for Human and Social Development Kristian Schmidt, former President of Nigeria and current President of the West African Commission on Drugs Olusegun Obasanjo, and Prefect and Deputy Director General of the State Police and Central Director of the Criminal Police Francesco Cirillo. A press conference is scheduled to follow at 10:30 in the Hotel Press Room.

The meeting will offer an opportunity to assess the first four years of the “Cocaine Route” Programme, which was launched in 2009 by the EU, is ongoing in 36 countries and is coordinated by Italy. Participants will include principal international policy makers and representatives of national institutions involved in countering organised crime and narcotics trafficking.

Journalists and camera persons interested in covering the event are asked to apply for specific accreditation using the online accreditation system now available at the “Journalists Area” on the home page of the foreign ministry’s website www.esteri.it. Please complete the interactive form provided in the Press section of our web site, to which all required documentation can be attached in digital format, if it has not already been submitted.

Accredited journalists and camera persons will be admitted at main entrance of the Hotel Plaza – Via del Corso 126, Rome – from 9:00 onwards.